Apparatus for drying fluid material



J. C; MCLACl-{LN AEPABATUS FOR DRYING FLUID MATERIAL Judy L 5 sheets-shee 1 Filed Occ, G, 1923 my m, w25; @www J. Mmmm-LAN APPARATUS FOR DRYING FLUID MATERIAL Filed oci. e, 1925 s sheetsheefu 2 fg. 59 M l \J. C. MaGLCHLA\I APPARATUS FOR DRYING FLUID'MATERIAL Patented July 21, 1,925..

PATENT ermee.

JOHN (L MACIACHLAN', 4OIF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, JLSSIGNOR TO TITRE PRODUCTS GOM.'- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPOR'IVION 0F ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING- FLUID MTERIIJ.

Application filed October 6, 1923.

To /ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN C. MAGLAGH- LAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Fluid Material; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artA to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an apparatus for drying fluid material. .In the prior art, liquids have been dried ina drying 'apparatus or cabinet, and it has been a practice to dry heavy or semi-fluid liquids or liquids, such as milk which had been previously condensed, so as to thicken the same. The present apparatus is designed for drying thin liquids, such as whole milk, which has not been previously condensed. AVvTith such a drying apparatus, it is necessary to pass a large volume of air or drying medium therethrough.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a drying cabinet in which the material is centrifugally distributed adjacent the top thereof, and which has means for supplying and withdrawing heated air therefrom, and which also has a large surface through which the air is withdrawn to separate the solid particles of dried material from the air.

.It is a further object of the invention to provide such avdrying cabinethaving lateral extensions at its lower portion, each of which contains a plurality of air-straining partitions, upwardly through which the air is withdrawn from the cabinet.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide such partitions in said extension chamber so that the'same are inw clined vertically to form V-shaped channels communicating with the drying chamber,

which channels are further provided. with means contacting said partitions for cleaning and separating the dried material therefrom.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which.

like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which,

Serial No. 666,903.

Fig. -1 represents a vertical central section Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of one of the screen-holding partitions; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the I line 66 of Fig. 5, as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, a large drying` cabinet, illustrated as of cylindrical form, 1s indicated as 1, which cabinet extends between widely separated floors 2 and 3 of a building. A distributing apparatus, indicated generally as L1, is disposed at the top of the cabinet centrally thereof, and comprises a central materialreceiving tube 5 equipped with a funnel 6 at its upper vend andv surrounded at its lower end by the downwardly directed conical member 7, having a toothed or serrated lower edge. The material passing vthrough the tube 5 is deposited upon a plate 8, having a conical portion 9 thereon projecting upwardly centrally into the tube 5 and supported by cir cumferentially spaced bolts from the flange 7. The tube 7 is supported in suitable bearF ings on the lower tube and is rotated by means of a steam turbine 10 secured thereto and having the supply and exhaust conduits 11 and 12, respectively. A depending and outwardly flaring cylindrical member 13 extends ladjacent the upper surface of flange 7 and is surrounded by ali annular conduit 1li supplied with steam from the conduit 15. rllhe conduit 14C is equipped with a multiplicity of small holes` directed downwardly and inwardly toward the lower edge of member 13. A pipe 16, adapted to carry steam, also extends some distance downwardly into the tube 5. The various steam conduits 11, 15 and 16 are equipped with the suitable and necessary valves, as indicated in Fig. 1. The distributor described forms no part of the present invention per se, but is only used as an element of the combination.

The cabinet 1 has suitable openings 17 ber, are the chambers 22, having theV top' walls 23 and the floor 24, which latter extends from the top of the conical floor 19. Each of the' chambers 22 has formed therein, at its upper portion, a series of frames 25.

The adjacent frames 25 converge toward theirlower edges to form V-shaped chambers, the outer ends of' which are closed by the outer walls of the chambers 22 and the inner ends of which are closed by solid partitions 26. The lower edges of the -frames 25, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, terminate a considerable distance above the floor 24. In

.one actual embodiment of the invention, the

frames 25 were six feet inxlength, ve feet high and terminated three feet above the floor of the chambers 22. Each of the frames 25 is shouldered to form a rectangular recess in which removably is fitted a frame 27, being held in the frame 25 by suitable turn-buttons 28 and having pervious fabric 29 stretched therecver and secured thereto. The V-shaped channels formed between the fabric-carrying frame 29, which converge at their upper portions, are open into the main chamber of cabinet 1. The frames 25 with the fabric 29 converging at their tops and bottoms form, in effect, a continuous partition with convolutions. The extension chambers 22 have thereabove suitable air-receiving casings 30 from which extend the air conduits 31, which, in practice, will all be connected to a common conduit, through which the air is discharged from cabinet 1.

It will be understood that the floors 19 and 24 are continuous and the side walls of the cabinet 1 are supported therefrom on circumferentially spaced posts 32, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The posts 33 are also shown supporting the ioor 3.

A rod 34 extends horizontally between the converging ends of the frames 27 and is journaled in the outer wall of the chambers 22 and in a strip 35 supported by the partitions 26. A plurality of looped members 37 are rigidly secured to and depend from said rod 34 centrally between the fabric sheets 29.

The rods 34 project outside of the outerI walls of chambers 22 and each has secured thereto and depending therefrom a slotted arm 38. A. ro'd 39 extends4 through the slotted portions of all of the rods 38 and has projecting pins 40 disposed at each side of said arms. The rod 39 is sup rted in suitable bearings 41 and equippe with an operating handle 42, at one end thereof.

In operation, the liquid to be dried, such as whole milk, is fed into the hopper 6 and pases downwardly through tube 5 onto the plate 8. Tube 5 is driven at extremely high speed by the turbine 10. The material is projected centrifugallyv from the plate 8 against the underside of flange 7, and is projected from the said flange in a downwardly directed umbrella-.like shower, the teeth on the lower edge of the ange 7 further acting tol break up the material into fine particles. The material is thus centrifugally distributed in extremely small fragments and this finely divided material is further disintegrated by a strong blast of super-heated steam directed through the opening in conduit 14 against the flaring edge of the member 13 and deflected downwardly through the shower of material. The projected and very finely divided material falls in the cabinet 1 through the hot drying medium supplied through the openings 17, andthe particles of material are substantially instantaneously dried. Owing to the fact that the dried material is in very line condition and also to the fact that it is necessary to pass a very large amount of air continuously through the cabinet, the maby the air, as the latter is withdrawn. The air, therefore is withdrawn from the cabinet adjacent the bottom thereof and laterally into the channels between the bottom surfaces of the fabric members 29. The air then passes upwardly through the fabric members 29 into the casings 30 and out through the conduits 3l. The fine material in the air is thus arrested by the fabric members 29 and collects thereon, said members thus forming air-straining partitions which are arranged substantially in convolutions. In order to allow the air to pass through the members 29, it is necessary to clean the same at intervals, and this is done by operating thev rods 39 by the handles 42. During this cleaning operation, the fans or other pressure producing means, supplying and withdrawing the heated air, are stopped. The reciprocation of the rods 39 oscillate the rods 34 and cause the members 27 to tap or beat the fabric sheets 29, so that the material-is shaken therefrom and drops upon the floor 24, from which it can be discharged onto iioor 19 and through the opening 20 into a suitable receptacle A.

From the above description, it is seen that applicant has provided a simple and efiicient drying cabinet having means for handling a large amount of air or drying medium. By the arrangement of the partitions 29, a very large air-straining surface is obtained. The partitions can be readily cleaned when terial tends to be carried out of the cabinet necessary, without having a man enter the cabinet.. The fabric partitions'can be removed with their frames 27, when necessary for renewal or repairs. rlFhe apparatus has been actually constructed and operated and found to be very successful and eiiicient for the purpose intended. i By the use of the apparatus, whole milk has been successfully and quickly dried, without any pre-condensing.

lit will., of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form', details, andil arrangement of the apparatus without departing from the scope of applicaiits invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of 'carrying out 'the objects above stated, such as shown and described and set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is v y l. A drying apparatus hailunoi in combination, a drying chamber, a distributing means adjacent the top thereof,'said chamber having openings through which air is supplied thereto below and adjacent said distributing means, a lateral extension chamber at the bottom'of said chamber, an exit for air at the top of said extension chamber and a plurality of upwardly extending inclined partitions extending transversely of said extension chamber, the adjacent partitions being eppositely inclined', through which' partitions the air must pass in its way from the first mentioned chamber to said exit.

2. A drying apparatus having in combination, a drying chamber, a distributing means adj acent' the top thereof, said chamber having openings through which air is supplied thereto below and adjacent said distributing means, lateral extension chambers,lopeningv into and substantially surroundingt'the bottom portion of said chamber, and .a 'series of inclined upwardly extending partitions in said extension chambers disposed in planes extending outward from said first mentioned chamber and extending across said extension chambers, the adjacent partitions being oppositely in clined and substantially meeting at their tops and bottoms, said partitions thus forming .in effect a continuous partition with convolutions.

3. A drying apparatus having 'in combination a drying chamber, a distributing means.

adjacent the top thereof, said chamber having openings through which heated airis supplied thereto,lateral-,extension chambers at the lower portion ofisaid chamber" and above the floor thereof, each having a series of upwardly extending and inclined airstraining partitions at their upper portions through which the air` from .said chamber upwardly passes, Asaid partitions extending outwardlyT of said irst mentioned chamber across said extension chamber.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3, the

therein.

imperforate tops with conduits leading therefrom, inclined fabric partitions disposed adjacent the top of said extension chambers and arranged in upwardly converging pairs to form V-shaped channels between each pair andextending toward said drying chamber, and said channels below said partitions communicating with said drying chamber, said drying chamber having openings adjacent the upper end through which `heated air is supplied, and means for withdrawing air from the top of said extension chambers'through said conduits, whereby the air passes upwardly through said fabric partitions.

6. The structure set forth in claim 5, cleaning means for saidfabric partitions disposed between and beneath the same, and means disposed outside of said extension chambers for operating said cleaning means.

7. The structure set 'forth in claim 5, oscillating rods extending between and beneath said fabric partitions adjacent the upper ends thereof, beaters secured and depending from said rods, said rods projecting to the exterior of said extension chambers, arms secured to the outer ends of said rods, and a handle-equipped-.rod engaging all of said arms to swing said rodsand said beaters.

M8. rfhe structure set forth in claim 3, said partitions comprising open frames and fabric covered frames removably secured 9. A. drying apparatus having in combination, a drying chamber having a rectangular lower portion, a distributing means adjacent the top of said chamber, said chamber having openings vertically spaced from said distributing means through which air is supplied thereto, lateral extension chambers .ici-nt c. momentan. 

